Highland Lake community energized and engaged as they meet to discuss the issue of Cyanobacteria

Community
members learned about recent efforts to impact future development around
Highland Lake and expand their understanding of a recently completed research
project by USM Graduate students that focused on the issue of Cyanobacteria in
Highland Lake.

The
business meeting focused on “What is going on in Highland Lake?” – A power
point

presentation by Rosie Hartzler, VP of the Highland Lake Association. This
presentation highlighted how the emergence of a Pico Cyanobacteria bloom, with
its precipitating negative effect on water clarity, was seriously impacting the
very essence of what the lake means to its residents.

Attendees
keyed into the seriousness of this phenomenon, which has occurred with shocking
regularity for about 4 weeks from mid-July through mid-August, since 2014.As if right on cue, the lake took a decided
turn just this past Saturday, July 22 for the fourth year in a row.

Residents woke up to radically reduced water
clarity.One resident commented “Here it
comes!”

There
is an ongoing effort to more accurately determine why this is happening and
what the causes are.“It’s complicated”,
said Hartzler. In her discussion of the issue, “Highland Lake may be at a
tipping point,” she pointed out the many factors that may precipitate a lake
turning from clear to turbid.“Erratic
weather is the wild card.”

One
of the recurring themes in this presentation revolved around data that confirms
that Highland Lake contains a high level of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen).
Phosphorous enters the lake primarily when runoff occurs from the surrounding
watershed. High nutrients are definitely related to the outbreak of Pico Cyanobacteria
in Highland Lake. The HLA received a grant of $4,000 from the Town of Windham
to study why this outbreak is occurring.

Highland
Lake is currently designated by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
as a “lake at risk, due to over development.”A 2003 study by the DEP indicated 883 residential structures in the
water shed area, with 243 residential structures on the immediate shoreline of
Highland Lake.

In
addition, a group of Highland Lake residents are engaged with members of the
HLA board to more carefully scrutinize proposed development in the Highland
Lake watershed.This effort is seen as
critical, particularly with the continuing outbreak of Pico Cyanobacteria in
the lake.

The
HLA invites residents in the watershed to engage in the ongoing efforts to preserve
and protect Highland Lake. We all need to become more engaged in the ongoing
effort to safeguard Highland Lake from further degradation and learn how
individual efforts can contribute in defending the social and economic benefits
of this beautiful lake and surrounding land.

The
HLA board thanks all those who participated in the annual meeting as well as
the myriad of watershed residents, who by purchasing raffle tickets, raised
over $2,000.

The
event was a total success and the HLA looks forward to ongoing engagement with
the greater Highland Lake Community.